COLLEGE CONNECTION: Strategies for a successful essay

Terrifying, immobilizing, and stressful are adjectives students have described about writing the main 650-word Common App essay. It’s easy to understand the pressure. Having read hundreds of papers while in the admissions office of a selective college, I have seen a page and half make or break a student’s accep...

Terrifying, immobilizing, and stressful are adjectives students have described about writing the main 650-word Common App essay. It’s easy to understand the pressure. Having read hundreds of papers while in the admissions office of a selective college, I have seen a page and half make or break a student’s acceptance. For a young person whose application was on the edge or wound up in the second pile, an insightful, well-written essay tipped the balance. Conversely, I have also seen a student present high grades and test scores, but grammatical errors and lack of depth in the essay resulted in a denial.

Yet, it does not have to the crucible of the fall semester. It is an amazing opportunity to express something that is not otherwise reflected in your application. The first question inevitably is then, “What should I write about?” My response is always the same, that the first-person pronoun is a mighty tool. Use it to tell a magnificent and true story. Not that every essay will be a shining mountaintop experience. Some of the best essays I have read were about mistakes made and lessons learned, and the difficult decisions young people often have to make in all areas of life. If you have ever told a story to your family or friends, you have the foundation for a fabulous essay. Write about something that you are passionate about and then go into detail about why it’s important to you. The rest of your application will explain your extracurricular activities, so the essay is the time to highlight not only your writing abilities but what separates you from the thousands of other applicants who have similar resumes.

However, this is not to time to write about how your trip to Mexico or a sports injury forever changed your life. I can promise you that these subjects are a dime a dozen, quickly tossed aside. Instead, what matters to you? What incites or inspires you? When you are writing about something you love, the writing comes easier. You are the expert on you, and everyone has a great tale to tell.

A large part of the essay is the subject matter. However, admissions officers also want to see that you are ready for college level work, so mechanics and style are equally as important. Before George Orwell wrote 1984, he penned “Politics and the English Language” in which he listed five important lessons to sue while writing. Simply paraphrased, a short word is often better than a long one. Don’t use metaphors, similes, or clichés. If you can cut a word out, then please do. Active verbs supersede passive ones. Instead of using a foreign phrase, scientific word, or jargon, try to think of an everyday equivalent. Following these guidelines will streamline your writing.

Remember that spellcheck is not always your friend. Too often “fried” is used for “friend”, “farm” for “form”, and “form” for “from”. It’s funny until those are the mistakes that jeopardize your essay. While you should certainly use spellcheck, it is no substitute for an adult who can proofread context and grammar. You can also ask this person who knows you well, “Does this sound like me?” It should, and the seasoned reader will be able to tell when it’s not.

Page 2 of 2 - Lastly, resist the urge to write what you think the reader wants to hear. Present yourself as you are to a college, rather than how you imagine they might want you to be. They are looking for ways to accept the wonderful person you are, not some made-up version.

Stephanie Sears is an independent college consultant who lives in Cohasset. She can be reached at stephanie.c.sears@gmail.com